No more banging.
“Molly?” A familiar voice called from the front of the bakery. “It’s me, Liam. I’m coming to the back door. I don’t want you to see what’s up here. Don’t panic, okay? It’s me. You’re not in danger anymore. I got your panic button notification and came here as fast as I could. Jace is here with me.”
Relief crashed over me all at once.
My knees gave out, hitting the tile as the adrenaline drained from my body as fast as it had come.
I sat with my back against the wall, trying to collect myself as Jace explained what had happened before I’d set off the panic alarm. He and Liam stood a few feet in front of me, replaying the footage the camera had managed to capture of the entire encounter.
For the most part, it only showed the side of the guy’s face. Nothing clear. Nothing that would actually help us figure out who he was.
They talked back and forth, pointing out different things happening in the video.
“He knew who I was,” I cut in. “He knew my full name.”
They both turned to me.
“These weren’t random break-ins. He wantedme. Specifically.” My stomach twisted. “But he doesn’t know enough about me to know Jace is my brother. He acted like he thought Jace was just some other customer or something. I could tell he didn’t recognizethatMcKinley—only this McKinley.” I pointed to myself. “I can’t go home—he said there are others. They could know everything about me, including where I live.”
“You can stay at the ranch,” Jace offered. “Odds are they won’t know to look for you out there. And we’re armed—ready to take on anyone dumb enough to try something like this again.”
“I’m not putting you guys in danger,” I said. “Absolutely not.”
“And I’m not letting you hide out by yourself. You have nowhere else to go that doesn’t have your name tied to it. No matter where you go, they’ll find it,” he said in his big brother matter-of-fact tone I hated.
“Not exactly…” Liam said, confusing both Jace and me. “I might have somewhere you can go.”
Chapter 21 – Liam
“You want me to stay at the old Shirley house?” Molly squeaked as we pulled up to the iron gates at the end of the driveway. “Hell no. Absolutely not. This place is probably haunted—ghosts galore up in there. Pass. Immediately pass,” she babbled.
Jace looked over at me, just as confused, already second-guessing my idea.
“This seems a little bit extreme, don’t you think?” Jace said, the hesitation in his voice obvious.
I laughed at both of their reactions. “Give it a chance, okay? It’ll be fine. I promise.”
Molly sat up in the back seat, leaning forward against the center console between Jace and me. “If you hate me, all you have to do is say that, Liam. I can take a hint.”
I continued down the gravel driveway, the house coming into view.
“Wait… What happened to this place?” Molly said, her eyes lighting up at the house’s total makeover.
I’d finished redoing the siding just last week. Instead of the usual faded, warped boards, it now beamed with sparkling white panels. I’d refinished the pillars, power-washed the brick along the fireplacewall, and replaced the entire porch with new wood boards.
After I’d finished the outside of the house, I mowed the front yard—its first cut in years. The grass was thick and green after years of having been left alone.
“Welcome to the newest McKinley mansion,” I joked, putting the Jeep in park.
Molly looked at Jace, confused. “When did you buy the old Shirley house?”
“I didn’t,” Jace said, just as confused.
I turned to her. “I did.”
Her brows furrowed. “Then why are you calling it the McKinley mansion?”
“Because I bought it for you,” I said. “You and our son, I mean.” I held up the shiny silver key to the front door.
